Methods of manufacturing paint roller covers from a tubular fabric sleeve

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing paint roller covers is disclosed in which the paint roller covers are manufactured from a seamless segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric that is placed onto a cylindrical forming tube having a segment of bonding material temporarily secured on its outer surface under the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric. The cylindrical forming tube is placed on a heated mandrel to apply heat thereto to cause the bonding material to bond to the interior of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric. The cylindrical forming tube is removed from the mandrel and cooled, and the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric becomes secured to the bonding material to produce a semi-rigid paint roller cover segment. The semi-rigid paint roller cover segment may be finished into paint roller covers.

IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S.Patent Application No. 12/100,050, filed on Apr. 9, 2008, entitled“Method of Manufacturing Paint Roller Covers From a Tubular FabricSleeve” (hereinafter the “'050 Application”) which itself is both acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 12/015,612, filed onJan. 17, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,980, granted on Mar. 15, 2011,entitled “Method of Manufacturing Paint Roller Covers From a TubularFabric Sleeve” and a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No.11/740,119, filed on Apr. 25, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,191, grantedon Oct. 30, 2009, entitled “Tubular Sliver Knit Fabric for Paint RollerCovers,” all three of which patent applications are assigned to theassignee of the present invention, which patent application and whichpatents are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of paintroller covers, and more particularly to methods of manufacturing paintroller covers from a seamless, tubular fabric sleeve which is reinforcedby a heat-activated thermal bonding material that is thermally securedto the inside of the backing of the tubular fabric sleeve.

The two inventions which have had the greatest impact on paintapplication are the invention of the paint roller in the 1930's and thedevelopment of water-based paint in the late 1940's. While water-basedpaints are easy to mix, apply, and clean up, there is little doubt thatthe paint roller has been the greatest single time saving factor in thepaint application process, allowing large surfaces to be painted with auniform coat of paint quickly and easily. Typically, paint rollers arecomprised of two components, namely a handle assembly and a paint rollercover for installation onto the handle assembly.

The handle assembly consists of a grip member having a generallyL-shaped metal frame extending therefrom, with the free end of the metalframe having a rotatable support for a paint roller cover mountedthereon. The paint roller cover consists of a thin, hollow cylindricalcore which fits upon the rotatable support of the handle, with a plushpile fabric being secured to the outer diameter of the paint rollercover. The core may be made of either cardboard or plastic material,with which material is used for the core generally being determinedbased upon the selling price of the paint roller cover. The pile fabricis traditionally applied as a strip which is helically wound onto theouter surface of the core with adjacent windings of the fabric stripbeing located close adjacent each other to provide the appearance of asingle continuous pile fabric covering on the core.

Typically, the pile fabric is a dense knitted pile fabric, which may beknitted from natural fibers such as wool or mohair, synthetic fiberssuch as polyester, acrylic, nylon, or rayon, or from a blend of naturaland synthetic fibers. The knitting is typically performed on a circularsliver knitting machine, which produces a tubular knitted base materialwith a knit-in pile in tubular segments which are approximatelyfifty-eight inches (1473 millimeters) in circumference by thirty tofifty yards (25 meters to 41.8 meters) long (depending on fabricweight).

Generally, sliver knitting is a knitting process which locks individualpile fibers directly into a lightweight knit backing or base material ina manner wherein the pile fibers extend from one side of the knit basematerial. The knit base material itself is made from yarn, which may beknit in a single jersey circular knitting process on a circular knittingmachine, with closely packed U-shaped tufts of the fibers being woveninto the knit base material which anchors them in the completed pilefabric. The free ends of the fibers extend from one side of the knitbase material to provide a deep pile face. The knit base material istypically made of synthetic yarns, with the pile being made of a desirednatural or synthetic fiber, or a blend of different fibers.

Such fabrics are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,791,741,to Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,702, to Schmidt et al., U.S. Pat. No.3,226,952, to Cassady, U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,680, to Daniel, U.S. Pat. No.3,894,409, to Clingan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,286, to Abler et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,042, to Lumb, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,668, toSinykin, all of which patents are hereby incorporated herein byreference. Sliver knit high pile fabrics have been widely used for manyyears in the manufacture of imitation fur fabrics, and also have founduse, for example, as linings for overcoats and footwear, as coveringsfor stuffed toys and floors, in applications in pet beds, case liners,boot and slipper liners, medical pads, and blankets, and, of course, ascoverings for paint roller covers.

The components of the knitted fabric are a yarn, which is used to knitthe fabric's knit base material, and fibers which are supplied in a“sliver” rope, which consists of fibers which are all longitudinallyoriented in a rope which is typically less than three inches (76millimeters) in diameter. The fibers are loose fibers of either a singletype or a uniform blend of multiple types of fibers. The fiber mix willdetermine the performance, density, texture, weight, patterning, andcolor of the finished pile fabric.

The fibers are typically blown together in an air chamber to blend them,and then are carded in carding machines that “comb” the fibers to alignthem in parallel with each other. The fibers are then gathered into asoft, thick rope which is called “sliver” (which is the derivation forthe term “sliver knit”) or “roving.” The yarn and the sliver aresupplied to the circular knitting machine, which typically has eighteenheads and produces a tubular knit pile fabric which is approximatelyfifty-eight inches (1473 millimeters) in circumference. (Thus, when thetubular knit pile fabric is slit longitudinally, the fabric isapproximately fifty-eight inches (1473 millimeters) wide.)

Such knitting machines are well known in the art, and are illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 3,894,407, to Clingan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,637, toThore, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,532,780 and 4,592,213, both to Tilson et al.,U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,431,029, 5,546,768, 5,577,402, 5,685,176, and6,016,670, all to Kukrau et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,920, toSchindler et al., all of which patents are hereby incorporated herein byreference. Examples of commercial versions of such knitting machines arethe Model SK-18 II Sliver Knitter and the Model SK-18J II Sliver Knitterwhich are available from Mayer Industries, Inc. of Orangeburg, S.C.

The first commercial circular sliver knitting machine had seven heads,and commercially-available circular knitting machines today have betweenseven and eighteen heads. Eighteen head knitting machines have upwardsof one thousand needles, and produce tubular knitted segments that areapproximately nineteen inches (483 millimeters) in diameter (fifty-eightinches (1473 millimeters) in circumference). All of these circularsliver knitting machines produce tubular knitted pile fabric segmentshaving the pile located on the inside. Such circular sliver knittingmachines are incapable of either producing tubular knitted pile fabricsegments having the pile on the outside or small diameter tubularknitted pile fabric segments.

Following the manufacture of the tubular knitted pile segments on acircular sliver knitting machine, the tubular knitted pile segments areslit longitudinally to produce extended knitted pile segments of fabricwhich are typically fifty-eight inches (1473 millimeters) wide by thirtyyards (27.43 meters) to fifty yards (45.72 meters) long. These extendedknitted pile segments of fabric are then tensioned longitudinally andtransversely, stretched to a 60 inch (1524 millimeter) width or greaterto guarantee the proper number of two and seven-eighth inch (73millimeter) strips, and back coated (on the non-pile side of the knitbase material) with a stabilized coating composition such as a clearacrylic polymer. The coating composition which is coated onto thenon-pile side of the knit base material is then processed, typically byheat, to stabilize the coated, extended knitted pile segment. Theheating operation dries and bonds the coating composition to the knitbase material, producing a fabric which is essentially lint-free.

The coated, extended knitted pile segment can then be subjected to ashearing operation to achieve a uniform pile length, with the shearedfibers being removed by vacuum, electrostatically, or by any other knownremoval technique. The pile density, the nap length, and the stiffnessof the fibers are varied based upon custom specifications and theparticular characteristics of the paint roller cover that are desired.

The sheared, coated, extended knitted pile segment is then slit into aplurality of two and seven-eighths inch (73 millimeter) wide knittedpile fabric strips, of which there are typically twenty for a sixty inch(1524 millimeter) wide fabric segment. Following this slittingoperation, the strips must be vacuumed to remove stray fibers and lint.The knitted pile fabric strips are rolled onto a core to produce twentyrolls of knitted pile fabric strips, each of which is thirty to fiftyyards long. These rolls of knitted pile fabric strips may then beshipped to a paint roller cover manufacturer. Alternately, a pluralityof standard lengths of the fabric may be seamed together to produce anextended length fabric strip which may be helically wound in consecutiverows upon a core as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,502,779 , 6,685,121,6,902,131, 6,918,552, and 6,929,203, all to Jelinek et al., all of whichpatents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Both the standard length rolls of knitted pile fabric strips and therolls of extended length knitted pile fabric strips have substantialmaterial costs and labor costs that are incurred in the manufacturingprocess after the circular knitting process. The material costs includethe cost of the coating material, losses due to fly (fly are extrafibers that come loose from the knitted pile fabric), losses during thecutting of the sixty inch (1524 millimeter) wide fabric segment intotwenty knitted pile fabric strips, and seam losses throughout theoperation. The labor costs include the costs to perform the coatingprocess, the brushing, the second pass shearing, and all of thefinishing steps within the traditional sliver knit operation includingslitting and continuously coiling the fabric slits.

Paint roller covers are manufactured by using a hollow cylindrical coremade of cardboard or thermoplastic material which has the knitted pilefabric strip helically wound around the core. During the manufacture ofpaint roller covers, the knitted pile fabric strips are secured to thecore either by using adhesive or epoxy, or by thermally bonding theknitted pile fabric strip in place on a thermoplastic core. For examplesof these manufacturing processes see U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,975, to Garcia(the “'975 patent”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,790, to Sekar (the “'790patent”), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,320, to Tams et al. (the “'320patent”), each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The '975 patent uses a core that is cut from preformed thermoplastic(e.g., polypropylene) tubular stock. The core is mounted on a rotatingspindle, and a movable carriage mounted at an angle to the spindle feedsa continuous strip of knitted pile fabric onto the core, with thecarriage moving parallel to the spindle in timed relation to itsrotation so that the knitted pile fabric strip is wound on the plasticcore in a tight helix. Also mounted to the movable carriage is a heatsource for heat softening the thermoplastic core just in advance of thepoint where the knitted pile fabric strip is applied to thethermoplastic core, such that the knitted pile fabric is heat bonded tothe thermoplastic core as it is wound thereon. The bond formed betweenthe knitted pile fabric and the thermoplastic core is a strong one notsubject to separation from exposure to paint solvents.

The '790 patent uses a core that is formed from a strip (or multiplestrips) of thermoplastic material that is (are) helically wound about astationary mandrel. Alternately, the core may be formed by applyingliquefied thermoplastic material to a drive belt which transfers thethermoplastic material to the mandrel. A layer of adhesive is thenapplied to the outer surface of the core, and the knitted pile fabricstrip is applied to the core by helically winding the knitted pilefabric strip onto the core. Alternately, the paint roller cover mayinstead be made by bonding, in a single step, a knitted pile fabricstrip to a wound strip of thermoplastic material that is wrapped aboutthe mandrel.

The '320 patent extrudes a cylindrical plastic core through a rotatingextruder head that is cooled, with the outer surface of the core thenbeing plasma treated. The knitted pile fabric strip is secured onto theplasma treated outer surface of the core by extruding thin films offirst and second epoxy resin subcomponents onto the outer surface of thecore as it is extruded, cooled, and plasma treated in a continuousprocess.

Other variations are also known, particularly in technologies relatingto manufacturing pile fabric suitable for use on paint roller covers.For example, instead of using knitted pile fabric, woven pile fabric canbe substituted. Woven pile fabric consists of three yarns—a knit basematerial or warp yarn, a filling or weft yarn, and a pile yarn. Thethreads of warp yarn are held taut and in a parallel array on a loom,and the threads of weft yarn are woven across the threads of warp yarnin an over/under sequence orthogonal to the threads of warp yarn, withthreads of pile yarn being woven into the weave of warp and weft yarnssuch that the threads of pile yarn extend essentially perpendicularlyfrom one side of the fabric. Such woven pile fabric may be processed ina manner similar to that described above with regard to the processingof knitted pile segments of fabric to produce strips of woven pilefabric that can be helically wound onto paint roller cover cores.

However, all paint roller covers manufactured using the methodsdescribed above have a seam. As the strips of fabric are helically woundaround the cores, the fabric strips wrap contiguously around the core,thereby creating a helical seam that is located throughout the cover.The seam inevitably produces a less than optimal paint roller coversince a seam can interfere with the uniform application of paint fromthe paint roller cover. The helical winding process of manufacturing apaint roller cover requires careful attention to contiguous winding.Errors resulting in overlapped fabric or gaps in the contiguous windingprocess often occur, resulting in increased scrap or marketing poorquality covers. Such seams have the potential, particularly with shortnap paint roller covers, to produce a seam mark or stippling effect onthe surface being painted, particularly if the paint being appliedcombines with the seams to produce a more pronounced defectivecharacteristic in the surface being painted.

An examination of prior technology in the paint roller cover artsreveals that this problem has been recognized in the past, with severalsolutions that have been proposed to deal with the challenge presentedby the presence of seams in paint roller covers. The first of these,U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,955, to Barnes et al., which patent is herebyincorporated herein by reference, discloses a paint roller cover madefrom a segment of canvas tubing that has yarn loops sewn therethrough,with the ends of the loops on the outside of the segment of the canvastubing being cut. This approach is certainly far too expensive torepresent a viable solution, and would not compare well to currentlycommercially available paint roller covers in the quality of the paintcoat that could be applied.

Another approach is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,920,372, 2,944,588, and3,010,867, all to Sannipoli et al., which patents are herebyincorporated herein by reference, which patents are related and disclosethe use of a tubular knitted pile fabric manufactured on an apparatusdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,849,466, to Moore, which patent is herebyincorporated herein by reference. The apparatus disclosed in Moore,which is hand operated, was stated in the Sannipoli et al. patents to becapable of manufacturing a seamless tubular knitted sleeve in which thepile is located on the interior of the sleeve, thereby requiring thatthe sleeve be inverted prior to mounting it on a core to form a paintroller cover. As such, the apparatus disclosed in Moore is incapable ofmanufacturing a knitted sleeve in which the pile is located on theexterior of the sleeve.

The Sannipoli et al. patents inverted the tubular knitted sleeve bypositioning it within a hollow tube and pulling one end of the tubularknitted sleeve around the end of the tube and pushing successiveportions of the tubular knitted sleeve along the outside of the tube.The Arnold Schmidt '877 patent (which failed to disclose how it invertedthe knitted sleeve with the pile on the interior thereof) disclosed amachine for treating and shearing inverted tubular knitted sleeves, andthe Arnold Schmidt '953 patent disclosed using the inverted, treated,and sheared tubular knitted sleeves by stretching them and pulling themover a tube or shell to form a paint roller.

The problem that has prevented the inventions of the Arnold Schmidtpatents and the Sannipoli et al. patents from being either practicalcommercially successful is that the process of inverting a tubularknitted sleeve having the pile on the interior of the sleeve inevitablydamages the fabric of the tubular knitted sleeve. When the fabric isinverted, the material of the fabric is deformed due to stretching thatoccurs during the process of inverting the tubular knitted sleeve. Thisdeformation tends to increase the diameter of the tubular knittedsleeve, thus requiring it to be stretched lengthwise to restore it toits former diameter. Not only is this process difficult and expensive,but it also results in variable density of the fabric as well asintroducing the prospect of adhesive or thermoplastic bleed-throughwithin the stitches. Such problems will result in unacceptable productquality in paint roller covers made from this type of fabric.

It has been determined that the inverting approach taught by theSannipoli et al. patents and useable by the Arnold Schmidt patents hasthree drawbacks that make it impracticable. The first drawback of theinverting method is that it requires a high degree of manual operationin that it requires cutting of the tubular knitted sleeves to size andplacement of the tubular knitted sleeves into the tubes of the invertingmachine. The second drawback of the Sannipoli et al. method is that onlyrelatively short length tubular knitted sleeves representing a singlepaint roller cover (typically nine inches (229 millimeters)) can beprocessed at a time, which makes the method inherently unsuitable formass production.

The third, and by far the most serious, drawback of the Sannipoli et al.method is that the process of inverting the tubular knitted sleevesinevitably results in stretching the tubular knitted sleeves so thatthey will not snugly fit on the paint roller cover cores, potentiallycreating creases in a high percentage of them when they are adhesivelysecured to the paint roller cover cores. This results in an unacceptablyhigh percentage of them being defective and necessitating them beingscrapped, resulting in an unacceptably high scrap cost. Predictably, theinventions taught in the Sannipoli et al. patents and the Arnold Schmidtpatents have never found commercial acceptance due to these seriousdisadvantages.

The above-incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/740,119 discloses a tubular sliver knitted pile fabric which ismanufactured with the sliver pile side facing outwardly rather thaninwardly and with a diameter suitable for mounting on a paint rollercover core in a seamless manner. The above-incorporated by referenceU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/116,022 discloses a tubular knitfabric which is manufactured with a cut pile made of yarn which pilefaces outwardly rather than inwardly and with a diameter suitable formounting on a paint roller cover core in a seamless manner.

The above-incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/015,612 discloses a method of manufacturing paint roller covers fromthe tubular knitted pile fabric sleeve by initially placing the tubularknitted pile fabric sleeve upon the outside of a thin hollow cylindricalmounting tube, providing an adhesive bonding material on the exteriorsurface of a core member, and inserting the core member into theinterior of the mounting tube. By withdrawing the mounting tube from theknitted pile fabric sleeve while maintaining the respective positions ofthe knitted pile fabric sleeve and the core member, the knitted pilefabric sleeve is installed onto the exterior surface of the core memberand retained thereupon by the adhesive bonding material. The pile fabriccovered core member is then finished into paint roller covers by cuttingit to a desired size, combing and shearing the pile fabric to a desiredlength, beveling the edges of the paint roller covers, and vacuumingstray fibers from the paint roller covers.

The above-incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/116,022 discloses a method of manufacturing paint roller covers fromeither of the tubular knitted pile fabric sleeves described above byproviding an adhesive bonding material that has a relatively non-tackyouter surface on the exterior surface the outside of the core member.The knitted pile fabric sleeve is installed onto the exterior surface ofthe core member over the adhesive bonding material. The adhesive bondingmaterial is then rendered tacky, whereupon the knitted pile fabricsleeve becomes adhesively secured by the adhesive bonding material tothe exterior surface of the core member. The pile fabric covered coremember may be finished into paint roller covers by combing and shearingthe pile fabric to a desired length, beveling the edges of the paintroller covers, and vacuuming stray fibers from the paint roller covers.

While these methods of installing tubular knitted pile fabric sleevesonto core members have been found to be quite satisfactory, it isdesirable to provide still other methods by which a paint roller covermay be manufactured from a tubular pile fabric. It is further desirablethat the knitted pile fabric need not be stretched during themanufacturing process, and that the manufacturing process ensure thatthe knitted pile fabric will not have any wrinkles or other surfacedefects introduced therein during the manufacturing process. It is alsodesirable that the tubular pile fabric, which is manufactured with thepile side out, need not be inverted during the process of manufacturinga paint roller cover from the tubular pile fabric.

It is highly desirable that the manufacturing method results in anacceptable pile which extends from an acceptably rigid core that can beinstalled on and used with any conventional paint roller frame. In orderto facilitate the mass manufacture of paint roller covers, it is alsodesirable that the method facilitate either the manufacture of a paintroller cover of a desired finished length, or the manufacture of anextended length segment from which can be cut segments of any desiredsize for finishing as paint roller covers. It is also desirable thatboth tubular sliver knitted pile fabric and tubular knitted yarn cutpile fabric as well as a number of different backing materials can beused in the manufacture of paint roller covers.

The method used to manufacture a paint roller cover from the tubularpile fabric must result in a construction which is both durable and longlasting, and which, when accomplished, should yield a paint roller coverof superior quality. In order to enhance the market appeal of the methodof the present invention, it should also minimize the cost ofmanufacture of paint roller covers when compared to conventional methodsof manufacturing paint roller covers to thereby afford it the broadestpossible market. Finally, it is also desirable that all of the aforesaidadvantages and aspirations of the paint roller cover manufacturingmethod of the present invention be achieved without incurring anysubstantial relative disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed aboveare overcome by the present invention. With this invention, a method ofmanufacturing paint roller covers is provided which paint roller coversare manufactured from a seamless, tubular fabric sleeve which isreinforced by a heat-activated thermal bonding material that isthermally secured to the inside of the backing of the tubular fabricsleeve.

The paint roller covers are manufactured from a seamless segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric that is placed onto a cylindricalforming tube having a segment of bonding material temporarily secured onits outer surface under the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric. The cylindrical forming tube is placed on a heated mandrel toapply heat thereto to cause the bonding material to bond to the interiorof the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric. The cylindricalforming tube is removed from the mandrel and cooled, and the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric becomes secured to the bondingmaterial to produce a semi-rigid paint roller cover segment. Thesemi-rigid paint roller cover segment may be finished into paint rollercovers by cutting it into appropriately sized segments, combing andshearing the pile fabric to a desired length, beveling the edges of thepaint roller covers, and vacuuming stray fibers from the paint rollercovers.

In a first aspect of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of thepresent invention, a method of manufacturing a paint roller cover isprovided that: temporarily secures a segment of bonding material onto anouter surface of a hollow cylindrical forming tube having a first outerdiameter and an inner surface having a first inner diameter; places asegment of tubular paint roller fabric having a first end and a secondend onto the outer surface of the cylindrical forming tube over thesegment of bonding material thereupon; applies heat to the inner surfaceof the cylindrical forming tube at a predetermined temperature for apredetermined period of time that are sufficient to cause the bondingmaterial to bond to the interior of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric; and cools the bonding material that is bonded to thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric for a second period of timethat is sufficient to cause the bonding material to become semi-rigid,the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric being secured to thebonding material to produce a semi-rigid paint roller cover segment.

In a second aspect of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of thepresent invention, a method of manufacturing a paint roller cover isprovided that: temporarily secures a segment of bonding material onto anouter surface of a hollow cylindrical forming tube having a first outerdiameter and an inner surface having a first inner diameter; places asegment of tubular paint roller fabric having a first end and a secondend onto the outer surface of the cylindrical forming tube over thesegment of bonding material thereupon, said segment of tubular paintroller fabric having an inner diameter that is slightly larger than,approximately the same as, or slightly smaller than the first innerdiameter of the cylindrical forming tube prior to its placement ontosaid cylindrical forming tube over the segment of bonding materialthereupon; applies heat to the inner surface of the cylindrical formingtube at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of timethat are sufficient to cause the bonding material to bond to theinterior of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric; appliespressure to the outer surface of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric to press it into the bonding material on the cylindricalforming tube; cools the segment of bonding material that is bonded tothe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric for a second period oftime that is sufficient to cause the bonding material to becomesemi-rigid, the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric beingsecured to the bonding material to produce a pile fabric covered coreassembly; removes the pile fabric covered core assembly from thecylindrical forming tube; and finishes the segment of tubular knittedpaint roller cover fabric secured to the bonding material into afinished paint roller cover.

In a third aspect of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of thepresent invention, a method of manufacturing a paint roller cover isprovided that: secures a segment of bonding material onto an outersurface of a hollow cylindrical forming tube; places a segment oftubular paint roller fabric onto the outer surface of the cylindricalforming tube over the segment of bonding material thereupon; heats thecylindrical forming tube to cause the bonding material to bond to theinterior of the tubular paint roller cover fabric; and cools the segmentof bonding material that is bonded to the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric to produce a semi-rigid paint roller cover segment.

In a fourth aspect of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of thepresent invention, a paint roller cover is provided that includes: asegment of bonding material helically wound in a cylindricalconfiguration; and a segment of tubular paint roller fabric located onthe helically wound segment of bonding material; whereupon the helicallywound segment of bonding material has been heated at a sufficienttemperature for a sufficient period of time to cause the bondingmaterial to bond to the interior of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric, and subsequently cooled to cause the segment of bondingmaterial to become semi-rigid, the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric being secured to the bonding material.

The pile fabric covered core assembly is finished by combing andshearing the pile fabric to the desired length. The edges of theunfinished paint roller covers are beveled, and any loose sliver fibersare then vacuumed off. The finishing of the pile fabric covered coreassembly may be performed using the MBK Maschinenbau GmbH paint rollercover finishing machine, an Edward Jackson (Engineer) Limited finishingmachine, or other equipment custom built by individual paint rollercover manufacturers.

It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches a method bywhich a paint roller cover may be manufactured from tubular knitted pilefabric. Further, in practicing the paint roller cover manufacturingmethod of the present invention, the tubular knitted pile fabric neednot be stretched, and no wrinkles or other surface defects areintroduced into the tubular knitted pile fabric during the manufacturingprocess. Still further, the paint roller cover manufacturing method ofthe present invention, which manufactures the tubular knitted pilefabric with the pile side out, does not require the tubular knitted pilefabric to be inverted during the manufacturing process.

The paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present inventionresults in an acceptable pile which extends from an acceptably rigidcore which can be installed on and used with any conventional paintroller frame, or on a frame uniquely designed for the paint rollerutilizing the new core design. The paint roller cover manufacturingmethod of the present invention facilitates either the manufacture of apaint roller cover of a desired finished length, or the manufacture ofan extended length segment from which segments of any desired size canbe cut for finishing as paint roller covers, thereby facilitating themass manufacture of paint roller covers. The paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention can use either tubularsliver knitted pile fabric or tubular knitted yarn cut pile fabric aswell as a number of different backing materials.

The paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present inventionresults in a construction which is both durable and long lasting, andyields a paint roller cover of superior quality. The paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention also reduces the cost ofmanufacturing paint roller covers when compared to conventional methodsof manufacturing paint roller covers by manufacturing paint rollerswithout using a core member, thereby affording it the broadest possiblemarket. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and aspirations of thepaint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention areachieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages of the present invention are best understoodwith reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the optionalapplication of a release agent onto the exterior surface of an aluminumheating tube;

FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric depiction showing a segment of bondingtape being helically wound around the aluminum heating tube shown inFIG. 1 with the windings slightly overlapping each other;

FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric depiction showing a segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric having an end thereof located adjacent to anend of a thin, hollow mounting tube;

FIG. 4 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric shown in FIG. 3 as it is being pulled onto theouter surface of the mounting tube shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 located on the outersurface of the mounting tube shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of themounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric thereupon shownin FIG. 5 located adjacent to the aluminum heating tube having thehelically wound bonding tape located thereupon shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the mounting tubehaving the tubular paint roller cover fabric located thereupon as shownin FIGS. 5 and 6 as it is inserted onto the exterior of the aluminumheating tube having the helically wound bonding tape located thereuponshown in FIGS. 2 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic isometric depiction of the mounting tube with thetubular paint roller cover fabric located thereupon as shown in FIG. 7mounted over the aluminum heating tube having the helically woundbonding tape located thereupon as shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic isometric depiction of the elements shown in FIG.7, showing an end of the tubular paint roller cover fabric being pulledoff of the outer surface of the mounting tube and onto the helicallywound bonding tape located on the aluminum heating tube as the aluminumheating tube having the helically wound bonding tape located thereuponis withdrawn from the interior of the mounting tube;

FIG. 10 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the tubular paintroller cover fabric mounted upon and covering most of the helicallywound bonding tape located on the aluminum heating tube;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional depiction of the tubular paint roller coverfabric shown in FIG. 10 fully overlying the helically wound bonding tapelocated on the aluminum heating tube shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a schematic isometric depiction of an alternate method ofplacing a segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric onto thehelically wound bonding tape located on the aluminum heating tube shownin FIG. 2 by directly pulling the tubular paint roller cover fabric ontothe outer surface of the mounting tube and onto the aluminum heatingtube and the helically wound bonding tape located thereupon;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a mandrel heatingassembly having a cartridge heater and a thermocouple located inside acylindrical mandrel;

FIG. 14 is a lateral cross sectional view of the mandrel heatingassembly shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a schematic depiction of a controller that uses the signalfrom the thermocouple illustrated in FIG. 13 to control the cartridgeheater also illustrated in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a schematic isometric depiction of the aluminum heating tubehaving the tubular paint roller cover fabric overlying the helicallywound bonding tape shown in either of FIG. 10 or 12 being placed ontothe mandrel heating assembly shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 17 is a schematic isometric depiction of the aluminum heating tubehaving the tubular paint roller cover fabric overlying the helicallywound bonding tape shown in FIG. 16 being heated by the mandrel heatingassembly shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a schematic isometric depiction of rollers pressing thetubular paint roller cover fabric onto the helically wound bonding tapeon the heated aluminum heating tube on the mandrel heating assembly asshown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a schematic isometric depiction of the aluminum heating tubehaving the tubular paint roller cover fabric overlying the helicallywound bonding tape shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 being removed from themandrel heating assembly shown in FIGS. 17 and 18;

FIG. 20 is a schematic isometric depiction of a formed extended lengthtubular paint roller cover consisting of the helically wound bondingtape bonded to the interior of the tubular paint roller cover fabricafter it is processed according to FIGS. 16 through 19 as a coolingairflow is provided to the interior of the heated aluminum heating tubeand optionally to the outer surface of the tubular paint roller coverfabric;

FIG. 21 is a schematic isometric depiction of the formed extended lengthtubular paint roller cover consisting of the tubular paint roller coverfabric having the helically wound bonding tape bonded to the interiorthereof after it is processed according to FIGS. 16 through 20 as it isbeing removed from the aluminum heating tube after having been cooled inFIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a schematic isometric depiction showing the formed extendedlength tubular paint roller cover shown in FIG. 21 having an extendedlength being cut into paint roller cover-size segments; and

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram showing the manufacturing of a paint rollercover that is made according to the teachings of the present invention,with a number of the steps being those illustrated in FIGS. 1 through20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments are discussed herein, it being understood that oneskilled in the art could make any of a number of changes, modifications,variations, or alterations to the exemplary embodiments as describedherein without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentinvention. The exemplary embodiments may utilize the tubular knittedpile fabric disclosed in the above-incorporated by reference U.S. Pat.No. 7,503,191, which discloses the tubular knitted pile fabricmanufactured with the pile side facing outwardly and with a diametersuitable for mounting on a paint roller cover core. The tubular knittedpile fabric disclosed therein is a sliver knit fabric which uses fibersfor the pile.

Alternately, a tubular knitted pile fabric using yarn as the pilecomponent disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,241, granted on Jul. 6, 2010,which patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,could be used as well. Another tubular knitted pile fabric that couldinstead be used is a hybrid tubular knitted pile fabric that uses bothsliver fibers and yarn as the pile component and that is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 7,596,972, granted on Oct. 6, 2009, which patent is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The exemplaryembodiments taught herein each disclose how a segment of tubular knittedpile fabric may have its backing reinforced by thermally bonding abonding tape into the backing of the segment of tubular knitted pilefabric, following which the tubular knitted pile fabric-covered coremember may subsequently be finished in conventional fashion.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a hollow cylindrical aluminum heating tube 30having a first end 32 and a second end 34 is illustrated. The aluminumheating tube 30 has an outer diameter that is approximately the same asthe inner diameter of a finished paint roller cover (paint roller coverstypically have an inner diameter of approximately one and one-halfinches (38 millimeters), although alternative sizes such as innerdiameters of one and three-quarters inches (44 millimeters) and twoinches (51 millimeters) can be manufactured as well). Optionally, butpreferably, the aluminum heating tube 30 has a nonstick coating 36 of alow coefficient of friction material such as silicone orpolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, such as the material marketed by DuPontunder the trademark TEFLON) on the outer surface thereof. Alternately oradditionally, and also optionally, but preferably, the aluminum heatingtube 30 may have a release agent 38 such as Chem-Trend Pura 19037Release Agent sprayed onto the outer surface thereof from a releaseagent dispenser 40, as shown in FIG. 1.

Since it is desirable to simultaneously manufacture more than a singlestandard length (nine inches (22.9 centimeters)) paint roller cover at atime, the aluminum heating tube 30 is preferably sufficiently long toaccommodate the manufacture of an extended length paint roller corethereupon. For example, if seven nine-inch paint roller covers are to bemanufactured from a single extended length segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric, the aluminum heating tube 30 would have to besomewhat longer than the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric,which is for example at least approximately sixty-five to seventy inches(1.651 to 1.778 meters) long. Upon reading this specification, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the length of the aluminumheating tube 30 could vary considerably based upon manufacturingconsiderations, but would have to be at least approximately seventy-fiveto eighty inches (1.905 to 2.032 meters) long for a segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric sufficient to make seven nine-inch paintroller covers.

Referring next to FIG. 2, a segment of thermal bonding material orbonding tape 42 is shown as it is helically wound around the aluminumheating tube 30. The bonding tape 42 is wound in overlapping windings asshown in FIG. 2, and each end of the bonding tape 42 may be secured witha strip of adhesive tape 44 to keep the windings intact on the aluminumheating tube 30. In a preferred embodiment, the bonding tape 42 may beapproximately two and seven-eighths to three inches (7.303 to 7.62centimeters) wide, and the windings may overlap by approximatelyone-eight to one-quarter inch (3.175 to 6.35 millimeters). Alternately,helical windings of other widths and/or other overlaps may instead beused, and a non-helical winding of full-width bonding tape could also beused, although it is more difficult to maintain in place on the aluminumheating tube 30.

Optionally, a helically wound strip (not shown in FIG. 2) of thin craftpaper could be wound underneath the bonding tape 42 to prevent thebonding tape 42 from adhering to the surface of the aluminum heatingtube 30 during a subsequent heating step.

Either one layer or multiple layers of the bonding tape 42 could bewound around the aluminum heating tube 30, with a single, helicallywound, overlapping layer of the bonding tape 42 being the generallypreferred embodiment. Unlike the dry adhesive film used in the “'050application incorporated by reference above, the bonding tape 42 ispreferably a film made of plastic material optionally having areinforcement web located therein, and the bonding tape 42 does not have(or require) a non-tacky adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive oneither side thereof. Rather, the bonding aspect of the bonding tape 42will be achieved in a thermal process which will melt the bonding tape42 onto the inner diameter of a segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric located thereupon, as will become evident below.

The bonding tape 42 may be, for example, a heat-activated thermalbonding material in tape form such as, for example, three mil (0.0254millimeter) Unitherm 0890 polyurethane film available from Unitherm Inc.in Dayton, Ohio, which is the currently preferred commercially availablebonding tape 42. This material is available from Unitherm Inc. inthicknesses between two mil and five mil (0.0508 millimeter and 0.127millimeter), and is available on either a paper or fabric carrier.Another heat-activated thermal bonding material in tape form that hasbeen used is polyurethane film bonded to a support net, such asmaterials developed by Conweb Plastics, LLC in Minneapolis, Minn. Thesematerials include product designations 20110311.AJT.001 and20110311.AJT.004, which are respectively one mil and four mils (0.0254millimeter and 0.1016 millimeter) thick polyurethane film bonded toConwed's X04080 net.

Referring next to FIG. 3, a segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric50 having a first end 52 and a second end 54 is shown as it is about tobe pulled onto the exterior surface of a thin, hollow, longitudinallymoveable mounting tube 56 having a first end 58 and a second end 60. Thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 has an inner diameterthat is approximately the same size as or slightly smaller than theouter diameter of the aluminum heating tube 30 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2)upon which it will ultimately be installed.

For purposes of the example discussed herein, it will be assumed thatthe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 is approximatelysixty-five to seventy inches (1.651 to 1.778 meters) long, which is asufficient length to allow the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50 to be used for the manufacture of seven nine-inch long paintroller covers. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatthe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 could alternately besized for use in manufacturing a single paint roller cover (nine-incheslong or any other desired length as well), or for manufacturing any ofseveral different numbers of paint roller covers of any of severaldifferent lengths.

Since the inner diameter of the mounting tube 56 needs to besufficiently large to admit the aluminum heating tube 30 freelythereinto, for purposes of the example discussed herein, it will beassumed that the inner diameter of the mounting tube 56 is approximatelyone and three-quarters inches (the strip of adhesive tape 44.5millimeters) and the outer diameter of the mounting tube 56 isapproximately one and seven-eights inches (48 millimeters). For thesixty-five to seventy inch (1.651 to 1.778 meters) long segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50, it will be appreciated that themounting tube 56 will need to be sufficiently long to accommodate thislength of segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 (or any otherdesired length).

In FIG. 3, the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 is shownwith its first end 52 about to be pulled over the first end 58 of themounting tube 56. Since the inner diameter of the segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric 50 in the example presented herein is smallerthan the outer diameter of the mounting tube 56 in the example presentedherein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 will be stretched as itis pulled onto the outside of the mounting tube 56. FIG. 4 shows thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 partly pulled onto themounting tube 56, and FIG. 5 shows the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50 fully pulled onto the mounting tube 56, with the firstend 52 of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 locatedadjacent to the second end 60 of the mounting tube 56, and with thesecond end 54 of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50located close adjacent to the first end 58 of the mounting tube 56.

Since the outer diameter of the mounting tube 56 is larger than thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50, the segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric 50 must be manufactured in a manner whereby itis capable of stretching when it is pulled onto the mounting tube 56,and subsequently resiliently shrinking to its former size (or closethereto) when the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 isremoved from the mounting tube 56 and installed onto the aluminumheating tube 30 (which installation is not shown in FIGS. 3 through 5).The segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 taught in any of theabove-incorporated by reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,503,191, 7,596,972, and7,748,241 is resilient when stretched and will shrink to fit the outerdiameter of a paint roller cover core.

FIGS. 6 through 10 schematically illustrate a method of installing thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 from the mounting tube56 onto the aluminum heating tube 30 over the bonding tape 42. In theposition shown in FIG. 6, the first end 32 of the aluminum heating tube30 is about to be inserted into the interior of the first end 58 of themounting tube 56. In FIG. 7, the first end 32 of the aluminum heatingtube 30 is shown inserted approximately one-third of the way into theinterior of the mounting tube 56 from the first end 58 thereof. In FIG.8, the aluminum heating tube 30 having the bonding tape 42 thereupon isshown nearly fully inserted into the first end 58 of the mounting tube56 such that the first end 32 of the aluminum heating tube 30 is locatednear to the second end 60 of the mounting tube 56.

Referring next to FIG. 9, the process of installing the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50 onto the aluminum heating tube 30is initiated by withdrawing the aluminum heating tube 30 from themounting tube 56 while maintaining the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50 stationary with respect to the aluminum heating tube 30.Those skilled in the art will immediately understand that this can donein one of two ways: first, by moving the mounting tube 56 to withdraw itfrom the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric while maintainingthe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and the aluminumheating tube 30 stationary; or second, by simultaneously moving thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and the aluminum heatingtube 30 together away from the mounting tube 56 while maintaining themounting tube 56 stationary. (It would also be possible to move thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and the aluminum heatingtube 30 together away from the mounting tube 56 while simultaneouslymoving the mounting tube 56 away from the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 and the aluminum heating tube 30.)

The method shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 uses the easiest of these alternativemethods, namely longitudinally moving the mounting tube 56 to withdrawit from the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 whilemaintaining both the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 andthe aluminum heating tube 30 stationary. The segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 may, for example, be maintained in place withrespect to the aluminum heating tube 30 through the use of clamps (notshown) or a similar mechanism to assist in pulling the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50 off of the mounting tube 56.

In FIG. 9, it may be seen that the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50 and the aluminum heating tube 30 are maintained in astationary position as the mounting tube 56 is withdrawn from thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50. In FIG. 9, the mountingtube 56 is about two-thirds of the way removed from the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50. It may also be seen that as themounting tube 56 is removed from the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50, the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50shrinks to conform to the outer surface of the aluminum heating tube 30,causing the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 to belocated on the helically wound bonding tape 42 on the outer surface ofthe aluminum heating tube 30.

Referring next to FIG. 10, as the process continues, the mounting tube56 has been completely withdrawn from the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 and is no longer shown, causing the entire lengthof the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 to conform to theouter surface of the aluminum heating tube 30 over the bonding tape 42.The segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 has portions of thehelically wound bonding tape 42 extending from both ends thereof, so itwill be appreciated that the interior of the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 has the helically wound bonding tape 42 locatedthereunder, and does not directly contact the outer surface of thealuminum heating tube 30, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG.11.

Optionally, during the process illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 10, aliquid adhesive may be used between the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50 and the helically wound bonding tape 42 locatedthereunder. The liquid adhesive could be applied directly to thehelically wound bonding tape 42, or it could instead be applied to thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 as it is removed fromthe mounting tube 56. This may be done by installing grooves in theouter surface of the mounting tube 56 and pumping the liquid adhesivethrough delivery channels in the mounting tube 56 to these grooves. Asthe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 is removed from themounting tube 56 and installed onto the helically wound bonding tape 42on the aluminum heating tube 30, the liquid adhesive is applied to theinterior of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 tofurther adhere it to the helically wound bonding tape 42. Adhesivenumbers 3955, 3970, and 3945 from Fielco Adhesives which are 2-partepoxy adhesives may, for example, be used.

Referring now to FIG. 12, an alternate method of placing the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50 onto the helically wound bondingtape 42 wound on the aluminum heating tube 30 shown in FIG. 2 bydirectly pulling the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50onto the bonding tape 42 on the aluminum heating tube the aluminumheating tube 30. This method of installing the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 onto the bonding tape 42 on the aluminum heatingtube 30 may be used so long as the windings of the bonding tape 42 arenot disturbed such that a space between the windings places the segmentof tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 into direct contact with theouter surface of the aluminum heating tube 30.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, an exemplary mandrel heating assembly70 is illustrated in two cross-sectional views. The mandrel heatingassembly 70 of the exemplary embodiment has a mandrel 72 that iscylindrical and has an outer diameter that is sized to allow thealuminum heating tube 30 (shown in FIG. 10) to be removably locatedthereupon, and may thus have an outer diameter of approximately one andthree-eighths inches (35 millimeters) or slightly less. The mandrel 72has a coaxial cylindrical aperture 74 located therein that isapproximately three-quarters of an inch (19 millimeters) in diameter orslightly larger extending therethrough, which mandrel 72 may be made outof steel. A smaller aperture 76 that is approximately one-eighth of aninch (3.2 millimeters) is diameter or slightly larger extendslongitudinally through the mandrel 72 and is located in the mandrel 72between the aperture 74 and the outer surface of the mandrel 72.

A cartridge heater 78 is located in the aperture 74 in the mandrel 72.The cartridge heater may, for example, be a Watlow FIREROD Part No.N24A23-E12H cartridge heater from Watlow Electric Manufacturing Companyof St. Louis, Mo. The cartridge heater 78 has a three-quarter inch (19millimeter) diameter and is twenty-four inches (610 millimeters) long,has a 2750 Watt rating, and has two heater leads 80 extending from oneend thereof.

A thermocouple 82 is located in the aperture 76 in the mandrel 72. Thethermocouple 82 may be an Omega Model No. JMQSS-125G-6 thermocouple fromOmega Engineering, Inc. of Stamford, Conn. The thermocouple 82 has a hasan one-eighth inch (3.2 millimeter) diameter, is twenty-four inches (610millimeters) long, and has two thermocouple leads 84 extending from oneend thereof.

Referring next to FIG. 15, a temperature controller 90 for operating thecartridge heater 78 based on temperature information received from thethermocouple 82 is illustrated. A Eurotherm Model No. 2216e generalpurpose PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) temperature controller 90from Eurotherm Inc. of Leesburg, Va. has as an input the thermocoupleleads 84 from the thermocouple 82, and is connected through the heaterleads 80 to operate the cartridge heater 78 at the desired temperature.

Referring next to FIG. 16, the aluminum heating tube 30 with the bondingtape 42 and the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 locatedthereupon is shown as it is about to be placed onto the mandrel heatingassembly 70. As mentioned above, the outer diameter of the mandrel 72 ofthe mandrel heating assembly 70 is sized to allow the inside diameter ofthe aluminum heating tube 30 to fit removably thereupon, but with arelatively close fit to allow heat from the mandrel heating assembly 70to be transferred to and through the aluminum heating tube 30. Prior toplacing the aluminum heating tube 30 with the bonding tape 42 and thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 located thereupon overthe mandrel heating assembly 70, the mandrel heating assembly 70 isbrought up to the desired temperature.

The temperature of the mandrel heating assembly 70 is a function of thematerial of the bonding tape 42 used. More specifically, the temperatureused must be at or above the melting point of the bonding tape 42, butpreferably below the melting point of the backing and the pile of thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50. The temperature of themandrel heating assembly 70 accordingly varies according to theproperties of the bicomponent material. The range of the temperature ofthe mandrel heating assembly 70 is between approximately 300 degreesFahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) and approximately 450 degreesFahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius). The preferred temperature is betweenapproximately 335 degrees Fahrenheit (168 degrees Celsius) andapproximately 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius). The mostpreferred temperature is approximately 360 degrees Fahrenheit (182degrees Celsius).

In FIG. 16, the aluminum heating tube 30 with the bonding tape 42 andthe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 located thereupon isshown with the second end 34 of the aluminum heating tube 30 about to belowered onto the mandrel heating assembly 70. FIG. 17 shows the aluminumheating tube 30 with the bonding tape 42 and the segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric 50 located thereupon fully pulled onto themandrel heating assembly 70, where it is heated and maintained for aperiod of time sufficient to activate the bonding tape 42. (Activatingthe bonding tape 42 constitutes melting it sufficiently to fuse it withthe backing of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 intoan integral cylindrical configuration around the aluminum heating tube30.) The range of this heating period of time is between approximatelyfive seconds to approximately one-hundred twenty seconds for mostbonding tape 42 materials, with the preferred time being betweenapproximately fifteen seconds to approximately seventy seconds, and themost preferred time being approximately fifty seconds.

Turning next to FIG. 18, while the activation process of FIG. 17 isstill ongoing, the aluminum heating tube 30 with the now-activatedbonding tape 42 and the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50located thereupon remains on the mandrel heating assembly 70 and issubjected to a rolling process in which the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 is pressed into the bonding tape 42 on thealuminum heating tube 30. While this rolling process may be performed ina variety of ways, the exemplary manner in which it is performed in FIG.18 is shown schematically through the use of three rollers 100, 102, and104 which are rotatably supported on three roller support members 106,108, and 110, respectively. The three rollers 100, 102, and 104 surroundthe mandrel heating assembly 70, and are mounted parallel to and areevenly spaced around the aluminum heating tube 30 on the mandrel heatingassembly 70.

The three rollers 100, 102, and 104 apply pressure onto the outside ofthe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 to enhance the bondcreated by the activated bonding tape 42, and they are moved on thethree roller support members 106, 108, and 110, respectively, around thealuminum heating tube 30 on the mandrel heating assembly 70 to press thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 into the bonding tape 42and the outer surface of the aluminum heating tube 30. As the threerollers 100, 102, and 104 move, they will rotate about the three rollersupport members 106, 108, and 110, respectively, pressing radiallyinwardly on the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and theactivated bonding tape 42 with respect to the aluminum heating tube 30.This rolling process will ensure that that the activated bonding tape 42will be fused with the backing of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50 into an integral cylindrical configuration around thealuminum heating tube 30.

The rolling process may be performed for a period of time having a rangethat is between approximately five seconds to approximately eightyseconds, with the preferred time being between approximately fiveseconds to approximately seventy seconds, and the most preferred timebeing approximately ten seconds. The pressure required during therolling process is generally relatively small, and is not sufficient tocause the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and thebonding tape 42 to slip rotationally with respect to the aluminumheating tube 30. After the rolling process is complete, the threerollers 100, 102, and 104 are removed from contact with the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50.

Referring next to FIG. 19, the aluminum heating tube 30 having thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and the activatedbonding tape is removed from the mandrel 72 of the mandrel heatingassembly 70. Next, as shown in FIG. 20 cooling air is supplied to theinterior of the aluminum heating tube 30 by the fan 120, and optionallyto the sides of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 andthe activated bonding tape 42 on the aluminum heating tube 30 by fans122 and 124. In doing so, the temperature of the aluminum heating tube30 and the activated bonding tape 42 on the aluminum heating tube 30 arereduced to make the material of the activated bonding tape 42 entirelysolid. It will, however, have been thermally bonded to the insidesurface of the backing of the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50, in the process thereby forming a semi-rigid cylindrical innersurface surrounding the outer surface of the aluminum heating tube 30.

After the cooling process of FIG. 20, the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 and the now thermally bonded bonding tape 42 areremoved from the aluminum heating tube 30, as shown in FIG. 21, bysliding them off of the aluminum heating tube 30. The assemblyconsisting of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 andthe now thermally bonded bonding tape 42 will be referred to as the pilefabric covered core assembly 130.

While FIGS. 16 though 19 depict the heating process being performed in avertical orientation, with the mandrel heating assembly 70 in a verticalorientation and the aluminum heating tube 30 with the bonding tape 42and the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 locatedthereupon also being in a vertical orientation as it is lowered onto themandrel heating assembly 70, is should be noted that it could instead beperformed in a horizontal orientation, with the mandrel heating assembly70 in a horizontal orientation and the aluminum heating tube 30 with thebonding tape 42 and the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50located thereupon also being in a horizontal orientation that is slidonto the mandrel heating assembly 70.

The pile fabric covered core assembly 130 shown herein is approximatelysixty-five to seventy inches (1.651 to 1.778 meters) long, and it can becut into paint roller cover segments of any desired size. Eight cuttingblades 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, and 146 are schematicallyshown (although a single cutting blade that moves in position withrespect to the pile fabric covered core assembly 130 may be usedinstead) to cut the pile fabric covered core assembly 130 into sevennine inch (229 millimeter) long unfinished paint roller covers 148, withtwo short end pieces 150 being discarded. Alternatively, dual cuttingblades mounted at angles can be used to simultaneously cut and bevel theedges of paint roller cover segments. The unfinished paint roller covers148 will then be finished.

Finishing the unfinished paint roller covers 148 will include the stepsof combing the pile of the knitted pile fabric on the unfinished paintroller covers 148 and shearing it to the desired length. Finally, theedges of the unfinished paint roller covers 148 are beveled, and anyloose fibers are vacuumed off.

While the exemplary embodiment discussed produces a pile fabric coveredcore assembly 130 that is approximately sixty-five to seventy inches(1.651 to 1.778 meters) long, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat it could instead be manufactured in other sizes as well, and thuscould alternately be sized for use in manufacturing differing numbers ofa plurality of paint roller covers in any of several different lengths.

An alternate embodiment of the paint roller cover manufacturing methodof the present invention may use a segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50 that is manufactured with a base material that is made atleast in part with a material having a lower melting point than the restof the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50. For example, thefabric disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,668, which is assigned to theassignee of the present patent application, and which patent is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety, may be used. This mayfurther facilitate the integration of the backing of the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50 with the helically wound segment ofbonding tape 42 to form a semi-rigid interior of the pile fabric coveredcore assembly 130.

Referring finally to FIG. 23 (and also to other figures as referenced inpassing below), the paint roller cover manufacturing method of thepresent invention is shown in a flow chart that includes a number of thevariations discussed herein. The paint roller cover manufacturing methodbegins with an optional release spray step 160, in which the releaseagent 38 (shown in FIG. 1) is sprayed onto the outer surface of thealuminum heating tube 30 (also shown in FIG. 1).

Thus, the aluminum heating tube 30 may optionally have the nonstickcoating 36 (also shown in FIG. 1) located thereupon, and may alsooptionally have the release agent 38 sprayed thereupon prior to eachmanufacturing cycle. Next, and also optionally, a strip of thin craftpaper (not shown herein) may be helically wound onto the outer surfaceof the aluminum heating tube 30 in a wrap paper liner step 162.

The process next moves to a wrap bonding tape step 164, in which thebonding tape 42 is helically wound in overlapping fashion onto theoutside surface of the aluminum heating tube 30, as shown in FIG. 2.

In a parallel cut tubular fabric sleeve to length step 166, apotentially very long segment of tubular knitted pile fabric is cut intothe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50 (shown in FIG. 3).The process next moves to a slide tubular fabric sleeve onto mountingtube step 168 in which the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric50 is pulled onto the mounting tube 56 (as shown in FIGS. 3 through 5).

From the wrap bonding tape step 164 and the slide tubular fabric sleeveonto mounting tube step 168, the process then moves to an insert bondingtape-covered heating tube into mounting tube step 170 (as shown in FIGS.6 and 7) in which the aluminum heating tube 30 having the bonding tape42 helically wound thereupon is inserted into the interior of the secondend 60 of the mounting tube 56, which has the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 located thereupon.

The process next moves to a withdraw mounting tube from fabric sleeveand aluminum heating tube step 172 (shown in FIG. 9) in which themounting tube 56 is withdrawn from the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50 and the aluminum heating tube having the bonding tape 42thereupon while maintaining the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50 and the aluminum heating tube 30 stationary with respect toeach other. This results in the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50 shrinking to conform to the outer surface of the aluminumheating tube 30 over the bonding tape 42 thereupon.

The optional alternate method of installing the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 onto the aluminum heating tube 30 having thebonding tape 42 thereupon is shown in an optional slide tubular fabricsleeve onto bonding tape-covered heating tube step 174. This optionalalternate method is shown in FIG. 12.

Following performing one of the withdraw mounting tube from fabricsleeve and aluminum heating tube step 172 and the slide tubular fabricsleeve onto bonding tape-covered heating tube step 174, the process nextmoves to a place aluminum heating tube onto mandrel step 176, in whichthe aluminum heating tube 30 with the aluminum heating tube 30 and thebonding tape 42 located thereupon is placed onto the mandrel 72 of themandrel heating assembly 70 to initiate the heating process, as shown inFIG. 16. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that themandrel 72 is preheated to the desired predetermined temperature. Thealuminum heating tube with the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50 and the bonding tape 42 located thereupon is heated on themandrel 72 for a predetermined time as shown in FIG. 17 for thepredetermined time to cause the bonding tape 42 to melt into the backingof the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric 50.

Next, the process moves to a rolling step 178 in which the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50 is pressed into the melting bondingtape 42 on the aluminum heating tube 30 to enhance the bond created bythe melting bonding tape 42 to the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric 50, as illustrated by a fabric sleeve reinforcement step 180 andas shown in FIG. 18. This ensures that that the activated bonding tape42 will be fused with the backing of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50 into an integral cylindrical configuration around thealuminum heating tube 30.

The process then moves to a remove aluminum heating tube from mandrelstep 182 in which the aluminum heating tube 30 with the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50 and the heat-activated bonding tape42 (shown in FIG. 19) is removed from the mandrel 72. At this point,while the aluminum heating tube 30, the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric 50, and the heat-activated bonding tape 42 will coolgradually, it is preferable to perform an apply cooling airflow step 184to more quickly cool the aluminum heating tube 30, the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric 50, and the heat-activated bondingtape 42, as shown in FIG. 20, after which the pile fabric covered coreassembly 130 can be removed from the aluminum heating tube 30 as shownin FIG. 21.

Next, in an optional cut fabric-covered core member to desired lengthsstep 186, the pile fabric covered core assembly 130 may be cut into aplurality of unfinished paint roller covers 148 of any desired size.This step is, of course, not performed if the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric 50 was cut to meet its finished size in the cuttubular fabric sleeve to length step 186. The unfinished paint rollercovers 148 may then have the fabric pile thereupon combed and sheared toa desired length in a comb and shear fabric pile step 188. It should benoted that the comb and shear fabric pile step 188 may instead beperformed before the cut fabric-covered core member to desired lengthsstep 186.

Next, in a bevel edges of paint roller covers step 190, the edges of theunfinished paint roller covers 148 are beveled to finish them. Finally,in a vacuum paint roller covers step 192, loose fibers are vacuumed offthe unfinished paint roller covers, finishing them into paint rollercovers which may then be packaged and sold (typically, vacuuming isaccomplished throughout the brushing, shearing, and beveling stepsrather than as a separate step).

It may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description ofthe preferred embodiment of the present invention that it teaches amethod by which a paint roller cover may be manufactured from tubularknitted pile fabric. Further, in practicing the paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention, the tubular knitted pilefabric need not be stretched, and no wrinkles or other surface defectsare introduced into the tubular knitted pile fabric during themanufacturing process. Still further, the paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention, which manufactures thetubular knitted pile fabric with the pile side out, does not require thetubular knitted pile fabric to be inverted during the manufacturingprocess.

The paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present inventionresults in an acceptable pile which extends from an acceptably rigidcore which can be installed on and used with any conventional paintroller frame, or on a frame uniquely designed for the paint rollerutilizing the new core design. The paint roller cover manufacturingmethod of the present invention facilitates either the manufacture of apaint roller cover of a desired finished length, or the manufacture ofan extended length segment from which segments of any desired size canbe cut for finishing as paint roller covers, thereby facilitating themass manufacture of paint roller covers. The paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention can use either tubularsliver knitted pile fabric or tubular knitted yarn cut pile fabric aswell as a number of different backing materials.

The paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present inventionresults in a construction which is both durable and long lasting, andyields a paint roller cover of superior quality. The paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention also reduces the cost ofmanufacturing paint roller covers when compared to conventional methodsof manufacturing paint roller covers by manufacturing paint rollerswithout using a core member, thereby affording it the broadest possiblemarket. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and aspirations of thepaint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention areachieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

Although the foregoing description of the paint roller covermanufacturing method of the present invention has been shown anddescribed with reference to particular embodiments and applicationsthereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. Itwill be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a numberof changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the inventionas described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit orscope of the present invention. The particular embodiments andapplications were chosen and described to provide the best illustrationof the principles of the invention and its practical application tothereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the inventionin various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications,variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within thescope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims wheninterpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly,legally, and equitably entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a paint roller cover,comprising: temporarily securing a segment of bonding material onto anouter surface of a hollow cylindrical forming tube having a first outerdiameter and an inner surface having a first inner diameter; placing asegment of tubular paint roller fabric having a first end and a secondend onto the outer surface of the cylindrical forming tube over thesegment of bonding material thereupon; applying heat to the innersurface of the cylindrical forming tube at a predetermined temperaturefor a predetermined period of time that are sufficient to cause thebonding material to bond to the interior of the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric; and cooling the bonding material that is bonded tothe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric for a second period oftime that is sufficient to cause the bonding material to becomesemi-rigid, the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric beingsecured to the bonding material to produce a semi-rigid paint rollercover segment.
 2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the bondingmaterial comprises: a segment of thermally activatable bonding tapewound in helical windings around the cylindrical forming tube.
 3. Amethod as defined in claim 2, wherein the helical windings overlap.
 4. Amethod as defined in claim 2, wherein the thermally activatable bondingtape comprises: a polyurethane film material that is optionallyreinforced with a support netting material.
 5. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the cylindrical forming tube comprises: a hollowcylindrical aluminum heating tube having a non-stick outer surface.
 6. Amethod as defined in claim 5, wherein the aluminum heating tube has anouter diameter that is substantially identical to a desired innerdiameter of a finished paint roller cover.
 7. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabriccomprises: a sliver knit tubular knitted pile fabric wherein the pilestrands comprise tufts of sliver fibers.
 8. A method as defined in claim1, wherein the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric comprises: aknit tubular knitted cut pile fabric wherein the pile strands comprisecut pile segments.
 9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric comprises pile strandsknitted into a backing fabric, and wherein the backing fabric comprisesat least one bicomponent fiber comprising: a first material having afirst melting point; and a second material having a second melting pointthat is lower than said first melting point.
 10. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric has aninner diameter that is slightly larger than, approximately the same sizeas, or smaller than the outer diameter of the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric.
 11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric and the cylindrical formingtube are both substantially longer than the length of a paint rollercover.
 12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the placing thesegment of tubular paint roller fabric step comprises: placing thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric onto an outer surface of ahollow cylindrical mounting tube having a second outer diameter and asecond inner diameter; inserting the cylindrical forming tube having thebonding material on the exterior surface thereof into the interior ofthe cylindrical mounting tube such that the cylindrical forming tubehaving the bonding material on the exterior surface thereof is locatedsubstantially inside the cylindrical mounting tube having the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric thereupon; and longitudinallydisplacing the cylindrical mounting tube from the segment of tubularpaint roller cover fabric and the cylindrical forming tube having thebonding material on the exterior surface thereof while maintaining therespective longitudinal positions of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric with respect to the cylindrical forming tube having thebonding material on the exterior surface thereof, whereupon the segmentof tubular paint roller cover fabric is placed upon the outer surface ofthe cylindrical forming tube over the segment of bonding materialthereupon.
 13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the segment oftubular paint roller cover fabric is sufficiently resilient such that itwill expand when it is placed onto the cylindrical mounting tube andthat it will subsequently shrink back to a size that is approximatelythe same as its original size following its installation onto thecylindrical forming tube.
 14. A method as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid tubular core member is placed upon a mandrel that is heated tocause said adhesive bonding material to melt.
 15. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the applying heat step comprises: placing thecylindrical forming tube with the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric and the segment of bonding material located thereupon onto apreheated cylindrical mandrel heating assembly; and after apredetermined period of time, removing the cylindrical forming tube fromthe cylindrical mandrel heating assembly.
 16. A method as defined inclaim 15, wherein said mandrel heating assembly is preheated to atemperature that is sufficient to cause the bonding material to melt.17. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the predeterminedtemperature is between approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degreesCelsius) and approximately 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius).18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the predetermined time isbetween approximately five seconds and approximately one-hundred twentyseconds.
 19. A method as defined in claim 1, additionally comprising:subsequent to the initiation of the applying heat step, subjecting thesegment of tubular paint roller cover fabric to a rolling process inwhich the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric is pressed intothe bonding material on the outer surface of the cylindrical formingtube.
 20. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cooling stepcomprises: blowing air through the interior of the cylindrical formingtube, the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric, and/or theexterior of the cylindrical forming tube.
 21. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric has apile side and a backing side which is opposite said pile side, andwherein the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric is manufacturedand provided with its pile side out and is placed onto the outer surfaceof the cylindrical forming tube with its pile side out.
 22. A method asdefined in claim 1, wherein the segment of tubular paint roller coverfabric is substantially longer than the length of a paint roller cover.23. A method as defined in claim 1, additionally comprising: spraying arelease coating onto the outer surface of the cylindrical forming tubebefore the segment of tubular paint roller fabric is secured to theouter surface of the cylindrical forming tube.
 24. A method as definedin claim 1, additionally comprising: placing a segment of paper onto theouter surface of the cylindrical forming tube prior to securing thesegment of bonding material onto the outer surface of the cylindricalforming tube, thereby placing the segment of paper intermediate thesegment of bonding material and the outer surface of the cylindricalforming tube.
 25. A method as defined in claim 1, additionallycomprising: cutting the semi-rigid paint roller cover segment into aplurality of unfinished paint roller covers each covered with tubularpaint roller cover fabric having pile extending outwardly therefrom andeach having edges located at opposite ends thereof.
 26. A method asdefined in claim 1, additionally comprising: cutting the semi-rigidpaint roller cover segment into a plurality of unfinished paint rollercovers each of a desired length; combing the pile of the tubular paintroller cover fabric on the unfinished paint roller covers; shearing thepile of the tubular paint roller cover fabric on the unfinished paintroller covers to the desired length; beveling the edges of theunfinished paint roller covers; and vacuuming the pile of the unfinishedpaint roller covers.
 27. A method of manufacturing a paint roller cover,comprising: temporarily securing a segment of bonding material onto anouter surface of a hollow cylindrical forming tube having a first outerdiameter and an inner surface having a first inner diameter; placing asegment of tubular paint roller fabric having a first end and a secondend onto the outer surface of the cylindrical forming tube over thesegment of bonding material thereupon, said segment of tubular paintroller fabric having an inner diameter that is slightly larger than,approximately the same as, or slightly smaller than the first innerdiameter of the cylindrical forming tube prior to its placement ontosaid cylindrical forming tube over the segment of bonding materialthereupon; applying heat to the inner surface of the cylindrical formingtube at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of timethat are sufficient to cause the bonding material to bond to theinterior of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric; applyingpressure to the outer surface of the segment of tubular paint rollercover fabric to press it into the bonding material on the cylindricalforming tube; cooling the segment of bonding material that is bonded tothe segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric for a second period oftime that is sufficient to cause the bonding material to becomesemi-rigid, the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric beingsecured to the bonding material to produce a pile fabric covered coreassembly; removing the pile fabric covered core assembly from thecylindrical forming tube; and finishing the segment of tubular knittedpaint roller cover fabric secured to the bonding material into afinished paint roller cover.
 28. A method of manufacturing a paintroller cover, comprising: securing a segment of bonding material onto anouter surface of a hollow cylindrical forming tube; placing a segment oftubular paint roller fabric onto the outer surface of the cylindricalforming tube over the segment of bonding material thereupon; heating thecylindrical forming tube to cause the bonding material to bond to theinterior of the tubular paint roller cover fabric; cooling the segmentof bonding material that is bonded to the segment of tubular paintroller cover fabric to produce a semi-rigid paint roller cover segment;and removing the semi-rigid paint roller cover segment from thecylindrical forming tube.